Bryan Danielson led AEW committee that made CM Punk firing decision
Longtime CM Punk friend and former in-ring adversary Bryan Danielson headed up a small disciplinary committee that made the decision to fire Punk from AEW, according to Fightful.
Danielson was flanked on the three-person committee by AEW general counsel Chris Peck and an outside attorney that came together quickly after the events of August’s All In. AEW VP Megha Parekh was not involved as she already had stepped down from a majority of her duties to focus on the Khan’s NFL team instead.
From the report:
“Danielson was said to have spoken to the roster when addressing them about Punk’s termination, and noted that the decision was a particularly hard one. He cited the positives that CM Punk brought and his longstanding friendship with Punk, but said that it was the decision that had to be made.”
On Monday night, Danielson tweeted the following:
My dad always told me, “The right thing is often the hardest thing to do.”
It won’t always make the most money.
It won’t always be the most popular.
But it’s still the right thing.#AEW ❤️— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) November 27, 2023
Punk was fired by AEW for cause in early-September after a review of the aforementioned incident at All In between himself and Jack Perry that also reportedly included Punk lunging at AEW head Tony Khan backstage during the skirmish.
Fightful reported that Danielson remains on the committee as he is also responsible for issuing fines when those issues arise.
Punk returned to WWE this past weekend at Survivor Series in Chicago after nearly a decade away from the company.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.